Fall River's Community Action & Suppression Team (C.A.S.T.) turned a Forest Street search warrant into a major haul on Thursday, arresting 45-year-old Rashaun Scott after detectives say they found a stash of weapons and suspected narcotics inside. According to police, the seizure included an unregistered AR-style short-barrel rifle, ammunition, digital scales and hundreds of grams of suspected fentanyl and methamphetamine.
In a post on the department's Facebook page, the Fall River Police Department said detectives executed a court-authorized search warrant and forced their way in after Scott allegedly refused to open the door and used his body weight to block officers. The post lists charges that include trafficking in heroin, morphine, opium and fentanyl (100 grams or more), trafficking methamphetamine (200 grams or more), possession to distribute a Class B drug (subsequent offense) and several firearm offenses tied to prior convictions. Police reported recovering approximately 114 grams of suspected fentanyl, about 247 grams of suspected methamphetamine pills, roughly 7.6 grams of suspected crack cocaine, multiple digital scales with residue, narcotics packaging materials, four rounds of 9mm ammunition and an EP Armory AR-15 short-barrel rifle with no serial number.
"Detectives removed dangerous weapons and illegal drugs from the streets," the Facebook post stated. According to the department, Scott was found in the entry hallway using his body weight to keep officers out until detectives forced entry. He was arrested at the scene on the listed counts, and police say the investigation is ongoing. The post did not include information about his arraignment.
What Police Say They Found
The department's listing of recovered items, including scales with suspected residue, packaging materials, suspected narcotics measured in hundred-gram quantities and an unregistered AR-style short-barrel rifle, lines up with the kind of evidence investigators routinely point to when alleging drug distribution. If laboratory tests confirm the substances and weights, those details are typically used by prosecutors to support trafficking charges that hinge on drug quantity.
C.A.S.T.'s Recent Activity
The Forest Street operation is the latest in a string of C.A.S.T.-led search warrants that have turned up firearms and suspected fentanyl or cocaine as the city leans on targeted raids to disrupt street-level dealing. As reported in Peckham Street raid nets Glock, detectives recently seized a handgun and suspected fentanyl during another warrant service. Additional coverage in the Fall River Reporter has highlighted similar warrant operations resulting in drug arrests and the recovery of illegal firearms.
Legal Stakes
In Massachusetts, trafficking charges are based on drug weight and can bring mandatory minimum prison terms once certain thresholds are hit. Under state law, G.L. c.94C §32E outlines specific trafficking tiers, and the Commonwealth's sentencing guidelines provide increasingly stiff penalties at higher weight levels. That framework shapes how local prosecutors assess the evidence and whether to pursue the most serious counts in a case like this.
For now, the investigation remains active, and police say more details will be released as the case moves forward. Court filings and arraignment records are expected to clarify exactly which charges prosecutors decide to bring against Scott.
